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Star Trek actor Michael Ansara dies, aged 91

Actor Michael Ansara, best known for playing Star Trek's Klingon Commander Kang, has died, aged 91.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Michael Ansara's friend and former publicist, Michael B Druxman, confirmed his passing, saying: "Michael and I have been friends since 1968. He was my best friend. He had a long illness. He died at home. He was a great guy, and a wonderful actor."

The actor is also remembered for his starring role as the Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise on the TV series Broken Arrow and appeared in the films Julius Caesar and The Robe (1953); Jupiter's Darling (1955); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961); The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969); The Bears and I (1974); The Message (1977); and It's Alive (1974).

Michael Ansara was married to I Dream of Jeannie’s Barbara Eden from 1958-1974.

They raised one son together, Michael Matthew Ansara Jnr, who was also an actor. He died in 2001 of an accidental heroin overdose, aged 35.